Into My Heart
by Hiphuggers14
Summary: Calleigh and Eric finally take a chance on a relationship. Will the rough times bring them together, or will it tear them apart?
1. The Beginning

**This is my first time attempting to write CSI: Miami fan fictions. I've been reading them for a while, and I love to write. Why not give it a shot. Just so you all know I am a HUGE hiphuggers shipper. E/C all the way baby!**

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It was your average Friday in Miami, filled with sunshine and busy streets. Eric Delko was making his way inside the Miami-Dade crime lab, his strides were long and the smile on his face let everyone know that he was in a good mood. Eric was usually a happy guy, he always tried to look to the brighter side of every situation. Signing himself in, Eric turned and headed straight to the break room. No morning was complete without his cup of Café Cubano. The sound of the coffee pot sputtering was music to his ears. Eric had the cup in his hand and turned on his heel to walk out the door. Not paying attention to what was going on around him, he swung the door to the break room open and walked out only to find a familiar blonde walking towards him. Eric stood there smiling like a child, only to find bags under her eyes when she got closer.

"Hey Cal, are you okay?" Eric asked with so much concern in his voice. Calleigh was distracted by a case file she was reading, then finally looked up and offered him a weak smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't sleep much last night, this case is driving me insane." She said as she ran a hand through her long blonde locks.

"Here, you probably need this more than I do." Eric said holding his cup of steaming hot coffee towards her. Calleigh looked up from her file to the coffee cup, then to Eric. He had that famous Delko smile plastered on his face. She took the coffee from his hands, there fingers brushing for a moment and sending a spark of electricity through her body. Slowly raising it to her lips she inhaled the sweet aroma.

"Café Cubano, my favorite." Calleigh said before bringing the cup to her lips and taking a long sip. "Thanks Eric." She said with a small grin before turning and walking back down the hallway to ballistics.

Eric stood in the hallway, staring in the direction Calleigh went. A buzzing in his pocket woke him from his daydream. Pulling out his phone he found a text from Horation. "DB, in Little Havanna. Bring Calleigh with you. I'll send the address to your hummer's GPS." He clicked the home button on his iPhone, sliding it in his front pocket and making his way to Calleigh.

Eric stepped in the elevator and hit the button for floor 2. As the doors were beginning to close on the elevator he pulled out his phone and started scanning through his Facebook timeline. A loud ding caused him to look up from his phone, he was there. The doors to the elevator opened and he stepped out turning towards the gun range. The familiar sound of high heels caused him to turn his head and there was Calleigh, walking towards him with a huge smile across her face. "Hey Eric, Horatio just called me. Dead body in Little Havana, looks like we're working together today." She said as she brushed past him, walking in the elevator and waiting for him. As he stepped in and his the button for the main floor he couldn't help but notice that she was in a far better mood than she was when he first saw her this morning.

"Did you crack the case, or are you just happy to see me?" Calleigh couldn't help but laugh at the smile on his face. Only Delko would flatter himself like that. The elevator doors opened, and Eric waved his hand in a gesture for Calleigh to go first. As they walked towards his hummer Calleigh finally spoke up. "It's my turn to drive." She said as she walked to the drivers side, opening the door and jumping a little to get it. Eric couldn't help but smirk at the way she got in the Hummer's.

The drive was short, only because Calleigh has a heavy foot. She always followed the rules, except when it came to driving. As they stepped out they were greeted by Horatio whom had a weird look on his face. That should have been the first sign. He took his glasses off, twirling them around in his fingertips before looking up. "This case is going to be rough, but we have one of our own over here. Officer Martinez of Miami-Dade PD, shot and killed while going to grab the paper." Horatio nodded in the direction Alexx was in, then started walking back to his hummer.

"We'll find who did this to you baby, they will get theirs." The pair heard Alexx saying the the fallen officer. "Do you have anything for me yet Alexx?" Calleigh said as she crouched down the get a better look at their victim. As Calleigh and Alexx talked about what they though had happened, Eric looked around the development only to see a flash of something. "GUN! GET DOWN!" He yelled as everyone dropped to the ground and hid behind whatever they could. One single shot was fired, but no one knew who it had hit.


	2. Trying To Remember

**So I know I just posted the first chapter, but I got a few messages with some lovely words. I started typing this last night and finished it earlier today. Let me know what you guys think** **.**

A single gunshot was the last sound she heard before opening her eyes. Calleigh squinted as the sunlight blinded her. Looking around she noticed no one had moved from their position. Alexx was hiding half behind the body, the patrol officers were hiding behind their open doors, and Horatio was squatting behind his hummer. Everyone seemed okay, but then she heard a groan. Looking in the direction it came from she saw Eric. He was laying on his back clutching his shoulder. Calleigh quickly got to her feet and ran over to her best friend, only to find a single gunshot wound to his right shoulder. "I need an ambulance! Eric's been hit!" She yelled as she started to put pressure on his wound.

"Stay with me Eric, it's going to be okay." She whispered to him. Eric's eyes started to flutter, and he let out another painful grunt. When he saw Calleigh in front of him he offered a faint smile. "Are you okay?" She couldn't help but smile at that. Eric had been shot, a through and through, yet he still had it in him to ask if she was okay.

"Don't worry about me, just keep your eyes open. Okay?" Calleigh looked up to see an ambulance; the EMT's were pulling a stretcher out of the back. Eric was loaded up on the stretcher and put in the back of the ambulance. After they had secured him and started driving away, Calleigh stood in the same spot and watched them leave. Even after the ambulance was no longer in sight she still stared off in the distance. A hand on her should startled her. She tuned to see Horatio standing there with a somber look on his face.

"We've got the scene covered ma'am, go follow up on him and I will be there shortly." Before she could even protest Horatio had already made his way back to the crime scene. She turned on her heel and made her way over to the Hummer, getting in and taking off.

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The last thing Eric remembered was a shot, then he saw Calleigh. Was she hit? He opened his eyes and was blinded by white lights. Looking to his left he saw a machine, it kept making an even beeping sound. Following the wires down he saw they were connected to his arm. "I'm in the hospital?" He thought to himself. The sound of a door closing caught his attention, and he glanced over to see Calleigh walking in. She wasn't dressed in her normal clothes, it seemed that she had went home from work and got changed. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak to her the door flew open again, revealing a concerned Alexx.

"Baby I told you to go home and rest, not go home get a shower and come right back." He heard Alexx scolding her and quickly shut his eyes. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help himself.

"Alexx, that bullet was meant to kill him. They missed their shot by inches. I can't just sit around at home and act like everything's okay." Calleigh said with distress in her voice. She walked over to the side of his bed, sitting in her chair. Yes, it was the visitors chair but for the past two days it seemed that she was the one who sat there the most, and in her eyes that made it her spot. Calleigh grabbed Eric's hand and moved in closer to the bed. "We're going to get them Eric, and you're going to wake up. Please, please wake up." The way she was talking could have broke his heart right there. The pain in her voice was enough to show him how deeply she really cared. Eric lightly squeezed her hand, and it was enough for her to look at him.

"Eric?" She said so faintly he almost thought he imagined it. Eric slowly opened his eyes and met hers. He immediately noticed the red rims surrounding her emerald eyes and the tears that were built up on the verge of falling. God, what did he put her through? How long was he out? "Cal…" He managed to say her name, his voice was raspy but it was enough to earn a teary smile from her. "Don't say anything, I'll get the nurse." And with that she was on her feet running out into the hallway.

Eric closed his eyes again on the verge of sleep, the clicking of her heels woke him up again. Calleigh had returned, but there was a nurse trailing behind her. "Hello Mr. Delko, I see you're finally up. My name is Christine, I've been your nurse for the past couple of days. Can you see okay? How are you feeling?" All Eric could do was give her a nod. He looked past the nurse to see Calleigh standing in the corner of the room. Did his nurse just say days? Before he could even ask the nurse came up to him with a glass of water. Eric chugged the whole glass, putting on the bedside table next to him when he was done.

"I feel sore, mainly in my right shoulder. Other than that I'm fine." The nurse nodded, jotting down a few quick notes on her clip board before speaking up again. "Very well Mr. Delko, I'll be back in to check on you in an hour or so, don't be afraid to push the nurse button if you need me." Christine was out the door before he could say thanks. Calleigh came close again, taking her seat. Her mouth opened like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out. "What happened Cal? The last thing I remember was that gunshot and then your face." Calleigh sighed, grabbing a hold of his hand as if it were her lifeline. "We went to a callout, Alexx and I were looking at the body while you went to look for evidence. I guess you saw a flash and yelled gun, everyone got down but they hit you in the shoulder. It was a through and through, we found the bullet but I haven't had the chance to match it up yet. You scared me Eric." She whispered the last part.

Eric looked over to his right and saw that his shoulder was indeed bandaged up. He went to move his right arm, but the pain shot all through his body causing him to wince. "Don't move your arm, that's going to hurt for a while." She said as she ran her free hand up and down his arm in a soothing matter. Calleigh's phone rang in her pocket, she pulled it out and flipped it open. "Duquesne." He heard some mumbling on the other end before Calleigh spoke up again. "Yeah H, he's up. In a little bit of pain but he's responsive. Yes, okay bye." She looked over at Eric and smiled slightly. "Horatio is on his way over. If you're up to it he wants to ask you a few questions. You're not in any sort of trouble, we just need to figure some things out." All Eric could do was stare out the window, trying to conjure up what had really happened.


	3. Spending The Night

**Thank you to everyone for the reviews on chapter 2! I honestly did not expect so much positive feedback. So now I give you chapter 3, thank you all for your support! :)**

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Today was finally the day when Eric got to go home. Not that he hated the hospital, but let's be real, who likes being in the hospital? Horatio had asked him some questions about what he saw and what he remembers from that day. Eric sat on the bed for a few minutes, still trying to remember the day of the shooting. "Are you ready to go?" Eric didn't even have to look up to know it was Calleigh. Her southern twang always gave it away.

Looking up at her he began to collect the few things he had accumulated there over the past week or so. "Yeah, you know you don't have to babysit me Cal, I'll be alright." Calleigh would have none of that. She had though she lost Eric, again. "Eric, I get you're trying to deal with this on your own but there's no way in hell I'm just dropping you off at home and leaving you there. You may not want to believe it, but whoever shot you was trying to kill you. I'll be damned if I loose you, loosing Speed was enough." She said, holding the tears back that threatened to fall.

The look on her face was nothing but serious, he knew there was no way to win this argument. The pair made their way out of the hospital room, stopping at the main desk for a few moments so that Eric could sign his discharge papers. When they began to walk again Eric spoke up. "You know I really appreciate all you've done and all you're continuing to do since the shooting. But I-" She cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"No Eric, I'm not just dropping you off at home, and I'm not just going to drop you off at your parents. Horatio told me to stay with you, make sure you're okay and make sure you have everything you need. At the end of the day he's the one who signs my paycheck, so suck it up." She said pushing the main door to the hospital open. Eric squinted his eyes, it's been a while since he was out in the sunlight. They got into the parking lot and Calleigh hit the unlock button on the car, when they got closer is when Eric realized.

"Uhhh Cal, why are you driving my car?" He said with utter confusion. "My car is in the shop yet again, it got towed from CSI and your keys were there. I didn't think you would mind if I used it, do you?" Calleigh said flashing him her sweetest smile. Eric chuckled to himself as he got in the passengers side of his car. This was weird, he never sat anywhere besides the driver seat. Calleigh started up the car and buckled herself up, then began to pull away. "You kno Cal, I never knew you knew how to drive stick." Eric said with a small smirk on his face. Calleigh glanced over, then back to the road. "There's a lot you don't know about me scuba boy." She said as she shifted through the gears as smoothe as possible. Eric kept his mouth shut, watching her as she drove. If he was paying attention to the road he would have noticed that she turned towards her condo, not his, but he was way to busy watching the blonde bombshell drive his car. They pulled up in her driveway, that's when Eric noticed.

"Woah woah woah, I thought you were taking me home? I'm not staying here." He said throwing a fit like a toddler. Calleigh couldn't help but laugh. "I don't want to risk taking you home, they might know where you live. No scratch they, they definitely know where you live. You're safe here, trust me." Eric had no choice but to hop out of his car. Calleigh grabbed his spare clothes bag out of the trunk and made her way to her front door. She unlocked it, letting Eric in first and kicking it closed before locking it again.

"Can I get you anything? Coffee, water, sweet tea, beer?" She said as she made her way into the kitchen. Leave it up to Calleigh and her southern hospitality. "A glass of sweet tea will work." Eric said walking into the kitchen and sitting on one of the stools in front of the island. Calleigh came over with the pitcher of tea, then pulled two glasses out of the cabinet and poured on for each of them. "Is it okay if I go take a shower? I need to wash the hospital off." Calleigh laughed and nodded her head. "Eric, my home is your home. You don't have to ask for anything. I'll go grab some towels for you, There should be a fresh load din the dryer. Eric went ahead and made his way up her stairs, walking into e bathroom and closing the door. He slowly took his shirt off, only wincing once when he had to move his bad arm. As he looked in the mirror his noticed he was bleeding slightly through the gauze, but it wasn't took bad. He unwrapped it to find a set of stitches not bigger than a nickel. Calleigh came into the bathroom with a fresh set of yellow towels in her hand. Eric had no shirt on and she couldn't help but admire his chest, looking him up and down. A faint blush appeared when he caught her checking him out. "These are for you." She said placing the towels down on the counter. "I have shampoo and conditioner in there, it smells girly but that's all I have. I'll be in my room if you need me."

Calleigh went to walk out of the bathroom but Eric's voice stopped her. She turned to him, standing in the door frame. "Thanks Cal, for everything." A smile and a quiet you're welcome was all the reply he needed, and she was off into her room. Eric shut the door slowly and began undressing himself.

Calleigh had been relaxing in her bed reading her monthly subscription to Gun World. "Cal, I need your help." Eric had yelled from the bathroom. She quickly got up and rushed over to him. There he was, standing there with no shirt on again, only this time she could see a few droplets of water falling down his chest. She shook her head to snap herself out of it. "Could you help me wrap my shoulder up again. It's kinda hard to-" before he could finish Calleigh said "to do it by yourself." Finishing each other's sentences was never anything out of the ordinary for the two, it worked well for them. Calleigh pulled some extra gauze and Neosporin out of the cabinet. She lightly dabbed the cream over his wound, apologizing ever time he made a sour face. She wrapped it all up, washing her hands when she was done. "Thanks."

The rest of the night went like any other. Hanging out with his best friend like the good old times, Eric had really missed that. When it was time to go to bed Calleigh insisted that he take her bed, but Eric would have none of that. He opted for the couch instead, it's not the first time he's slept there and he found it to be quite comfortable.

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At around one in the morning Calleigh woke up. Something didn't feel right to her. She quickly grabbed her 9mm Ladysmith then quietly made her way down her steps. She looked on the couch and saw Eric moving around, almost as if he was fighting someone off. She got closer, crouching down on the floor next to him only to find he was having a nightmare. Calleigh gently shook him, but he didn't wake up. "Eric!" She yelled while she shook him. Eric shot up, grabbing ahold of his shoulder. He was sweating a breathing heavy. "Hey, it's okay. It was just a dream. You're fine, you're with me." It took a few moments for him to calm down. Calleigh moved his legs over and sat down next to him on the couch. "So how long has this been going on? And don't tell me you're fine, that's my line." Adding a touch of humor to the situation earned her half a smile.

"It all started after, you now." He made a gesture towards his head, swallowing hard before continuing. "I re-live that day in my dreams, except there's no saving me. They went away after a few months but I guess they're coming back again." Placing his head in his hands, Eric sighed. He really didn't want Calleigh to see the nightmares, it would just be another thing for her to worry about. Calleigh placed her hand on his back, rubbing it in circular motions to soothe him. When Eric was basically calm, Calleigh got up and his head shot up his eyes pleading her not to leave. She stuck her hand out and when he grabbed it she pulled him to his feet. "Come on, you're going to sleep in my bed, no protesting." She started dragging him down the hallway and when they got into her room she tugged him over to the left side. Eric sat down, patting the spot next to him. She sat Indian style next to him, looking into his eyes trying to read him.

"Get some sleep, I'll be right here if you have another nightmare and I'll be in the same spot when you wake up." Eric looked at the clock, then laid back and closed his eyes. This was going to be a rough night.


	4. Taking A Risk

**Again, thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review my story. The positive feedback just makes me want to write more chapters. Also, I've had a couple people ask me what's up with Calleigh's car. I personally think she's too badass to be driving a Chrysler Crossfire, even though they are cool cars. Maybe it's because I'm a petrolhead, but she will be getting a new car soon. Can anyone guess what it's gonna be? I hope you all enjoy!**

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Eric awoke to the scent of vanilla surrounding him and a warm body wrapped around him. He opened his eyes to see Calleigh wrapped up in his arms. Her hair was splayed across her pillow, their legs tangled together, and her one arm was wrapped around his torso. Eric smiled to himself, gently running his fingers through the length of her hair. Calleigh stirred a little, scrunching her face before settling back down in her own dream world. Eric didn't want to move, he didn't want to disturb the sleeping beauty because he knew she would pull away immediately. Instead he decided to savor the moment, breathing in her scent. Was it wrong? Probably, but he couldn't pull himself away. Looking over at the clock he noticed it was 9am, Calleigh never sleeps late. He must have kept her up all night.

After laying there for well over ten minutes Eric decided he should wake redher up. He rubbed her shoulder, whispering softly. "Cal…Cal wake up." Her face scrunched again, then her eyelids fluttered open. At first she was calm, but then she moved from her position and sat up, rubbing her eyes and running her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry Eric, I didn't… I was really tired." She was rambling and he couldn't help but smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. You kept me warm." He said with that half smile he knew she loved so much. Calleigh felt her cheeks go red and slowly got out of bed. "I'm gonna go make some breakfast, I hope you're hungry." She said as she backed out of her room, keeping her eyes on him the entire time. When Calleigh disappeared into the hallway Eric started to get up. It was a good morning, and whenever he woke up in a good mood he knew the day was going to be great. He started to make his way downstairs, the smell of eggs and bacon coaxing him towards the kitchen. It sounded like she was singing, but he couldn't tell if it was her voice or the radio. Eric stopped right before the kitchen, watching her move around with grace while she sang From This Moment by Shania Twain. He had never heard her sing before, in fact he didn't know she could.

"You should sing more often, you have a beautiful voice." He said and Calleigh jumped, putting her hand over her heart. "You shouldn't sneak up on a woman while she's cooking. And I'm not a singer Eric, I'm a csi. But thank you." Eric sat down on one of the stools by the island watching her cook. "It's not polite to stare." She said without even having to look at him. All he could do was chuckle in return while she brought a mug over to him, pouring a cup of coffee. "Horatio gave me two days off, so you're stuck with me." She said with a smirk, leaning over the counter and stealing a sip of his coffee. The playful banter was back, that's one of his favorite things about their relationship.

"So I have to go to the shop later on and get my car. They're saying it's a whole mess of things that's broken. I just need to get it here so I can figure out what to do next. Do you mind coming with me? Mechanics always try to get on over on girls so…" Eric smiled, there is no way he would let some guy try to overcharge her. "Yeah I'll go. If we need it towed I can call one of my friends, he does owe me a favor. I just need to get dressed and we'll be on our way." Eric got up from the table and got dressed as quickly as possible. When he got down back he noticed Calleigh was already dressed and waiting on the couch for him.

The two left on their way to the shop, Calleigh driving Eric's car yet again. When they arrived at the shop they saw her car sitting in the corner, then she walked up to the counter, Eric lingered by her car. "Hello my name is Calleigh Duquesne, I'm here to pick up my car." The mechanic gave her a once over that Eric did not miss, his blood started boiling. "Yes ma'am unfortunately you'll need to spend about 2000 dollars to repair your vehicle. I can probably get you a discount in exchange for a date." The man Carl said with a grin. Eric had walked over, not liking the way this Carl guy was undressing her with his eyes. Calleigh wrapped her arm around Eric's waist and leaned into him. "That's a very sweet offer, but my boyfriend wouldn't be to happy about that." Did she just say boyfriend? Eric smiled as big as he could, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "Yeah we just want to get it out of here and figure out where to go from there." Carl started typing something in on his keyboard, obviously not too happy with Eric. He handed them a piece of paper, Calleigh's jaw almost dropped to the floor. "You want 400 dollars just to tell me my car is broken?! Are you out of your mind or are the gas fumes starting to get to you?" Eric laughed at her comment, turning his head away from Carl so he didn't see his smile. "Standard price for car evaluation in Miami is 75 dollars, now unless you changed the oil, did an alignment and replaced two tires were not paying that." Eric took a hundred dollar bill out of his pocket and stuck it on the counter. "Keep the change buddy." Carl signed off on the piece of paper and they made their way over to her car.

Of course it wouldn't start, things could never work out easily for Calleigh. She went to say something to Eric and noticed he had just hung up the phone. "My friend Mike will be here in about twenty minutes, he'll tow it to your house. I sent him your address but we should probably wait here, I've got a bad feeling about that guy." Eric stated as he nodded over to Carl, who was staring at Calleigh. Calleigh looked behind her a shuddered a little. "Just go with it." Eric whispered as he pulled her closer. Next thing she knew his lips were against hers, soft just like she had thought. She closed her eyes and tilted her head granting him more access, then wrapped her arms around his neck. Calleigh was the first to pull away, her breathing slightly erratic. Eric looked in her eyes, then down to her kiss-swollen lips. That was great, he enjoyed that. Calleigh looked back and noticed Carl was still staring at them. "I can't wait to get home." She said loud enough for everyone to hear, grabbing a handful of Eric's ass and winking at him.

Before they knew it Mike was there hooking Calleigh's car up onto his flatbed. "Thanks again Mike." Eric said giving him a pat on the shoulder. He turned to look for Calleigh, only to find her getting in his car. "New girl?" Mike said nodding towards Calleigh. Eric laughed and replied, "No, not yet. Hopefully soon though." Mike was taking off his gloves and glanced over at Calleigh. "That's the gun girl you work with, right?" All he got was a nod. "You weren't lying, she sure is a beauty. Maybe she can actually get the famous Eric Delko to settle down. Anyways, I'll drop this off at that address. If you're not here I'll see you around. Maybe we can go out and have a beer sometime?" Eric shook Mike's hand and turned to leave. "Yeah definitely. Give me a call and we'll work it out. Thanks again!" He said as he hopped in the passengers seat.

The ride back to Calleigh's was filled with silence. Eric finally turned the radio on just so there was some type of noise. It's not that he didn't want to talk to Calleigh about what had just happened, he just didn't know what to say. As they got closer to her place he finally spoke up. "So about what happened at the shop…" He started looking over at her. Her hands where holding the wheel tight, and she was chewing on her bottom lip. Calleigh pulled up in her driveway, getting out and unlocking the door without saying a word to Eric. He trailed behind her, closing the door and following her into the kitchen, standing on the opposite side of the counter. "We have to talk about it Cal, I know you felt something. Don't push me away or try to hide it."

Calleigh sighed, she knew this was going to happen. "Listen, you're my best friend and I trust you with every bone in my body, but we can't be together. I can't date someone I work with, it's against the rules." Eric shook his head, he knew this was going to happen. "Don't give me that shit Cal. We work great together as partners, imagine what we could do if we were together. I've wanted to be with you since the minute I saw you six years ago in that parking garage. You can't sit here and tell me you did feel something back there!" Calleigh bit her lip, he was right. That kiss was amazing, way better than she could have ever dreamed it would be. "Eric, it's not that easy. What happens if things go bad? Then one of us will have to change shifts and I loose my best friend. I can't risk that, I care about our friendship too much." Eric shook his head, he couldn't believe she would think that way. "Cal I promise that won't happen. If it doesn't work out I will still be here, I will still be your best friend and I have no doubt in my mind that we could still work together." At this point Eric had moved over to the other side of the counter. Calleigh bit her bottom lip again, he had a point. Eric finally decided that talking wasn't getting him anywhere, so he grabbed Calleigh by her hips and pulled her close. He kissed her tenderly at first, but her tongue teasing his lips gave him the go ahead. Eric tangled his fingers in her hair, deepening the kiss as he massaged her tongue with his own. He pulled back, but Calleigh still had her eyes closed so he have her one last little peck on the lips. "We could be great together, you just have to give it a shot." He said leaning his forehead against hers.

Calleigh had butterflies in her stomach. Eric was right, they would be great together. She knew she loved him as a friend, and there was no doubt in her mind that she found him attractive. "Promise no matter what you will stay my friend?" She said ever so softly. "I promise." Eric whispered, sealing it with a soft kiss. "We should take this slow. I don't want to jump into anything too fast, I feel like that's how relationships fail. Even though I know you I still feel like there's more for me to know, if that makes any sense." Calleigh said placing her hands on his hips. Eric nodded and said, "You set the pace Cal, I'm in no rush." She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, pulling him close and breathing in his sent. Calleigh had never wanted something to work more in her life. She was scared, that's for sure, but she took that risk.


	5. Unexpected Visitors

**Hey everyone. Thanks again for all the reviews. Sorry I was not able to update this weekend, things were super busy. I started typing this Sunday night, I hope you guys enjoy!**

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It had been a week since Eric got out of the hospital, he was back at work now, but they were not any closer to catching the shooter. IAB had questioned him at least five times by now, but it seemed like they weren't trying to help the case at all. Eric sighed, rubbing his eyes before moving away from the microscope. He was currently working on a different case and he couldn't catch a break trying to get a fingerprint. He got up from his work station and made his way down the hallway in hopes of finding a particular blonde.

Eric quietly walked into firearms, standing in the back while Calleigh was test firing a gun on the range. When she was done she took her ear protection and eye glasses off. "It's not polite to stare." She said as she unloaded the clip, not even looking back to see who was there. She already knew, she could feel his presence whenever he was around. Eric smirked, women must have eyes on the back of their heads. He slowly walked up behind Calleigh snaking him arms around her waist and pressing a light kiss to the base of her neck. "Not at work, someone might see." She said as she slid out of his embrace to go collect her bullets. Calleigh walked over to her microscope to analyze the bullets. Eric stood quietly in the corner, arms crossed over his chest. One thing eric loved was watching Calleigh work. Whenever she was deep in though she would furrow her brows, like she was doing now. Whatever she was thinking about made sense because her eyes lit up and she jotted something down on her notepad. "Let me drop this off to Horatio and we can leave." Calleigh grabbed her things and turned to Eric. "I'll go pull my car up." He said brushing his hand along her lower back before ducking out of the room.

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Eric was searching around his kitchen for some food to cook. He had promised Calleigh he would make her a nice dinner, but he didn't think to plan ahead enough where there was actually food in his house. If it wasn't for his mother Carmen dropping off food while he was at work he would probably live off of fast food. "Cal I need to go buy food to cook you dinner." Right as she was about to answer there was a knock on the door. Eric look just as confused as Calleigh, checking through the peep hole before answering.

"Baby brother, I'm sorry to bother you last minute but I need you to watch the kids for a few hours." Eric's sister Maria said with his 11-month-old nephew Connor in her arm. His three-year-old niece Sophia was standing next to her mother. "Maria you couldn't have come at a worse time. You know I love the kids but-" Before he could finish she cut him off. "Oh you have a girl over?" His sister said raising her eyebrow at him. Eric scratched the back of his head, not too sure on what he should do. Calleigh came to the rescue, coming over to stand beside Eric. When Sophia saw Calleigh her eyes lit up. "Is she going to be my Tia now?!" The little girl said excitedly. Calleigh blushed a little, looking down at the little girl who reminded her so much of Eric, then back up to Eric and his sister. "You know I don't mind Eric, we can order pizza tonight too." Little Sophia's eyes lit up when she heard pizza; Calleigh had just won her love. Sophia grabbed her backpack and started dragging into his family room. "See Eric, it all worked out. You must be Calleigh." Maria said as she handed Eric the diaper bag. When Calleigh gave her a confused look she felt the need to explain. "You're the gun girl that my brother speaks so highly of." And now it was Eric's turn to blush. "Okay Maria, have a good night." Eric said as he took his nephew from her arms and began shutting the door.

"You don't know what you just got us into." Eric said as he started making his way into his family room. Sophia was sitting on the floor, legs crossed underneath the coffee table as she colored away in her coloring book. "Extra cheese Soph?" Eric said as he reached for his phone. "Extra cheese and cheesey crust please Tio." The little girl said without having to look up from her book. Calleigh moved to the couch, sitting behind Sophia and looking over the girls shoulder. "You're doing such a good job. Can you draw me a picture?" Calleigh asked as Eric placed Connor on the couch next to her. Sophia nodded eagerly and pulled out a blank piece of paper. Calleigh turned to find Connor staring up at her with a toothless grin. She picked him up, placing him on her lap facing her.

When Eric finished ordering and walked back into the room he could have sworn he was hit with déjà vu. He remembered having a dream like this, only the children in the picture had piercing green eyes like the woman he love more than life. He walked over to Calleigh, sitting down next to her. He took Connor from her, placing him on the floor with a few toys. "You know you don't have to stay if you don't want." He said turning back to her. "I don't mind. They're cute kids." She said nudging his shoulder with hers. Sophia turned around, stand up and handing the picture to Calleigh. "This is beautiful Sophia. I'll hang it on my fridge when I get home." Calleigh said as she placed it down on the end table. Sophia's eyes lit up and she turned back to her coloring station. "Thank you miss Calleigh. Tio I'll make one for you."

The pizza guy was just in time, everyone's stomachs had just started to rumble. Calleigh got the kids set up at the table while Eric made plates for everyone. Anyone who didn't know them would think that they were a family having dinner together. It was quiet for a little while, but Sophia was at that age where questions can never end. "Miss Calleigh, when are you and Tio Eric getting married?" The young girl said pausing from eating her pizza to look up at her. Calleigh almost choked on her food, clearing her throat before she spoke. "Sweetie Tio Eric and I aren't getting married any time soon." Calleigh tried to break it to her as kind as she could. "Okay, but when you do can I throw the flowers in the beginning?" At that Eric chuckled. "Yes peanut you can be my flower girl." Eric said tickling the side of her tummy with his free hand. Their answers seemed to satisfy the child, so she turned her attention back to her food.

After dinner Calleigh went to watch a movie with the kids, Sophia picked out the Lion King. Calleigh sang along to a few of the songs she knew with Sophia. Before they knew it there was a knock on the door, Maria walking in after Eric. "How were they?" Maria said as her daughter ran up and hugged her legs. "Good as always sis. Cal and Soph really hit it off." Eric said with a grin. Sophia tugged on Maria's shirt, so she bent down and listened as her daughter whispered in her ear. "Yeah Soph you can ask." Sophia ran over to her book back pulling out an envelope, then walked over to Calleigh. "Miss Calleigh will you come to my birthday party in two weeks? There's gonna be cake and presents and abuelo has a swimming pool!" She said excitedly as she handed Calleigh the invitation. Calleigh smiled at the little girl and replied, "I would love to come sweetie! I will definitely be there."

Eric walked his sister and the kids out to their car, Calleigh stood at the door watching them. He walked back up and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Sorry about tonight." Calleigh shook her head and smiled up at him. "Don't be sorry. The kids are great and Im actually really happy I got to spend some time with them." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Eric grinned, picking her up and walking inside. "Now it's my turn to spend some time with you." He said wiggling his eyebrows as he carried her up towards him room.

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 **On a side note I was watching CSI Miami last night with my boyfriend. Season 8 episode 22 I believe, it's called Mommie deadest. It's the episode where Eric is investigating everyone in the lab for the stolen diamonds. Anyways when Calleigh's information came up my boyfriend paused it and pointed out to me that she has the same birthday as me, just older. 9/3/75 is what it said. In honor of my favorite character having the same birthday as me I plan on posting a birthday chapter by Thursday night!**


	6. Still After Me

**Hey everyone, so I know I haven't updated in a while and I'm sorry. My laptop decided to stop working, still waiting to hear back from apple. I did download a version of Microsoft Word onto my ipad though, so I can still update but it might take me a little bit longer because I don't type as fast on there, but I'm trying my best. I have a chapter on my laptop that's ready to be posted, so once it's fixed I'll change somethings up and add it. Thanks again for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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It was the middle of the night, Calleigh was wrapped up in Eric's arms sound asleep. Her scent surrounded him and he couldn't have been any happier. A loud crash downstairs woke both of them up from their sleep. Calleigh immediately reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her gun. Eric got to his feet and grabbed his from the top shelf of his closet. "Stay here Cal, I'll be right back." He whispered making his way over to his bedroom door. A small hand on his arm stopped him. "If you really think I'm going to let you go down there by yourself you're insane. This could be the same person who shot you." She whispered back. Eric realized that she made a good point. "Okay but I go first." Eric quietly made his way down the hallway, Calleigh right behind him. They both quietly made their way down the steps, stopping at the bottom and checking around the corner just in case. Eric turned toward the kitchen while Calleigh turned towards the family room. The only thing they found was a brick with a note attached to it.

"Eric, over here." Calleigh said as she crouched down. Eric walked up behind her looking at the brick. "I'll go grab some gloves out of my kit." He said making his way to the closet by the front door and grabbing a pair of latex gloves and a bag. He walked back to her and picked the note up reading out loud. "Watch your back. This is not over." Eric read aloud. Calleigh immediately looked behind him only to find no one there. She stood up and checked the back of the house just to be safe. "Eric we shouldn't stay here anymore. Whoever this is obviously knows where you live." Calleigh said as she pulled out her phone to call Horatio. "Maybe I should call him. It's my house and I'm pretty sure he doesn't know about us." Eric said making a hand motion between them. Calleigh blushed a little, that would have been weird. As Eric called Horatio Calleigh wrote on the bags with the evidence. "He said he'll be here soon. I told him you were already on your way over so he shouldn't be surprised to see you here." Eric said smirking at her.

"Are you sure you're okay Eric?" Horatio said eyeing him up. Eric just nodded. "Yeah H, I'm fine. Calleigh's going to let me crash at her place until we find this guy." Horatio smiled just a little bit, looking back and forth between the two. "You know you two are my best CSI's, and I hope you know that you can come to me with anything." Calleigh put her head down and bit her lip. How did he know? "Yeah H, we know." Eric said smiling at him. "Well you two best head to Calleigh's. Try not to stay up to late." And before either could say anything Horatio was off.

Eric went upstairs and packed a few things in his bag. When he came back outside the nightshift crew was walking up to check for any other evidence. He walked towards his car to find Calleigh sitting in the front seat with her legs propped up. Eric tossed his bag in the back seat and got in, starting it up and pulling off towards her place. "He knows." Calleigh said softly. "What?" Eric replied glancing over at her. "Horatio knows Eric. He just hinted about it. I think we should go to him tomorrow. I mean I don't think he's going to say anything to IAB, but we need to tell him." Calleigh said looking at him. "Whatever you want babe. If It was my choice I'd scream it from the rooftops." Eric said earning a laugh from Calleigh.

They arrived at Calleigh's apartment in less than fifteen minutes. Eric grabbed his bag out of the back seat and walked in the front door that Calleigh left slightly cracked for him. He locked the door behind him and made his way up the steps and to her bedroom. Calleigh had just walked out of the bathroom when he walked in. "It's 1:45 in the morning, we should get some sleep." She said as she made her way over to the bed, turning it down. Eric crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a light kiss on the side of her neck. "Nope, not tonight scuba boy. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow and you're not allowed to keep me up all night." Calleigh said as she broke free from his arms and climbed into bed. Eric stood there watching her, then made his way over to his side. He stripped down to his boxers and grinned when he noticed Calleigh watching him undress. "See something you like?" He said with a smug smirk. Calleigh bit her lip, feeling her cheeks redden a little bit. "You're so cocky Delko." She said rolling over and turning off her bedside lamp. "So now we're on last name basis now?" Eric said as he rolled over and pulled her close to his chest. He kissed her forehead, then her lips and smiled. Calleigh cuddled up close to him and closed her eyes. "I love you Cal." She heard Eric say ever so softly before he drifted off into dreamland.

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The next day the couple rode in to work together. As soon as the elevator stopped at their floor they went from relationship mode to work mode. Eric stopped at the front desk and grabbed his mail, then made his way to the break room for his special coffee. He made a cup for Calleigh as well, he knew she would appreciate it. As Eric started heading to firearms Calleigh appeared next to him. "Come on, we're going to go talk to Horatio now." She said as she took the cup of Cubano he offered to her and took a sip. Eric knocked on Horatio's door opening after he heard him say come in. Calleigh walked in first, standing directly in front of Horatio's desk. "Is there anything I can help you two with?" Horatio said without even looking up. "Yeah H, there's something we need to talk to you about." Eric chimed in. "Well then, have a seat." Horatio said as he finished his paper work and looked at the two. Eric sat first, but Calleigh hesitated before sitting next to him. "What can I do for you guys?" Horatio said looking between the two. Calleigh sat there for a minute trying to figure out a way to put what she wanted to say into words. Before she got the chance to speak Eric was talking. "H, Calleigh and I have recently started seeing each other. I know it's against the rules and if you need to transfer one of us to night shift then I'll step up to the plate. I'm not going to let her go, I'll do whatever it takes to keep her in my life." Horatio looked at Eric, then over to Calleigh. "I appreciate you coming to me with this, and I must say I've been waiting a while for this day to happen. But before we jump into changing shifts and what not we should let this play out. I have no doubt in my mind that you two can keep it professional at work, but I'm not the one you have to worry about. I'm not going to say anything to IAB, but if Rick comes to you do not say anything, tell him to talk to me. Got it?" He said looking at both of them with a smile. Calleigh nodded, Eric smiled as wide as he could. "Thanks Horatio, I'm sorry we kept it behind your back." Calleigh finally spoke up. "None of that ma'am. It's about damn time you two give it a shot. Now you two head back to work." Horatio nodded towards the door. Eric opened it letting Calleigh go through first, pausing at the door and thanking Horatio again.

Calleigh and Eric walked down the hallway together. "Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be." Calleigh said glancing up at Eric. He smiled down at her and said, "Yeah well H understands. When you think about it we're the last two he CSI's he has left from his original team, he just wants us to be happy and I'm sure he can see that we are happy together." Eric said stopped outside of firearms. "Yeah, you do make a point there. We'll talk more about this later, but for now I have some bullets to analyze." Calleigh said as she opened the door. "I'll see you tonight?" She said smiling at him. "You can count on that!" Eric said as he watched Calleigh walk to the shooting range. He turned and started walking towards DNA with a little extra pep in his step. Today was a good day for him, even after everything that happened last night he couldn't help but smile.

As Eric walked into DNA Natalia looked up from her microscope at him. "Someone's a little happy today." She said as she walked over to the computer and began typing something in. Eric just smiled at her. "You know you think today would be a bad one, after everything that had happened. I just can't help but smile though." Eric said as he put on a pair of gloves. Natalia wasn't even going to ask, it's better that he was in a good mood. They both started working on separate cases. "Hey Eric, can you come help me with this brick? I'm pretty sure I've got a print over here." She said looking in his direction. Eric walked over to her and smiled, a nice juicy print he thought to himself. "You know with this type of surface it's usually hard to lift a fingerprint off of it, but whoever threw this had ink or something on their fingers." Eric said as he pulled the print off. Natalia snapped a few pictures and entered it in the system. "Well thanks to them they made our jobs easier." She said watching the computer screen. It wasn't long before they heard a ding signaling that they had a match. "You're not going to believe this Eric." Natalia said turning the computer screen towards him. Eric's whole mood changed in two seconds. Natalia saw him ball his fists up and his smile faded away faster than she's ever seen. "I'm gonna call H." She said pulling out her cell phone, but Eric didn't even hear her. He was on his phone sending a text message to a particular blonde. "Meet me in the break room. You're not going to believe who's print was on the brick." He quickly hit send and stormed out of DNA, so much for a good day.

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 **And that's where I'm ending it today guys. I'll try to update as frequently as possible, but not having a computer makes it a little hard.**


	7. Finding Out The Truth

**Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated but chapter 7 is finally here. Thank you all for your patience. The chapters might still take a while to post, I'm still going through a lot with recovery but now that I'm home I'll be able to write again.**

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When Calleigh pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw Eric's name pop up on her screen a smile graced her face, though it quickly faded when she read the message. She took off her lab coat and headed towards the break room. A million possibilities of who it could have been running through her mind.

As soon as Eric heard the door open he turned around and Calleigh was ready to run. He looked angry, but she knew it wasn't about her, "Who did it?" She said fidgeting with her hands. There was no point in beating around the bush, they both knew why they were in the break room.

"Carl, that lousy mechanic we dealt with. Apparently he's in the system for theft." He said as he paced around the room. He couldn't stand still. Eric was so agitated and it was unlike him to be this way.

"Eric stop pacing!" Calleigh all but yelled as she gripped his shoulders. She just needed him to look at her, all it took was their eyes meeting and he instantly calmed, "I know you're going to say this is a big deal but you can't do this to yourself." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Of course it had to be the same guy that was an asshole to them, life could never be simple.

"We need to go to that shop, and I think I need to have another chat with that scumbag." He said turning on his heel, and he was out of the break room. He strides were long, longer than normal and Calleigh had a hard time keeping up.

"Eric wait!" She hollered down the hallway as she jogged to try and catch him. Calleigh grabbed ahold of his arm, causing him to turn around to face her, "I understand you want to figure out what is going on, but this is not the way to go about it." When he opened his mouth to protest she cut him off, "You and I both know as soon as you get relatively close to him you're going to want to hurt him. Police brutality is a big thing these days, it could ruin the whole case."

She was right. He knew she was right but he didn't want to admit it. Eric sighed and rubbed his temple, "Fine, you can come with me. Meet me in the parking garage." He said watching her turn around, "Oh and Cal," he yelled and when she turned he smiled, "I'm driving this time." And he was off, stepping into the elevator right before it closed.

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The pair met in the parking garage at Eric's hummer. The ride to the shop was quiet, but not an awkward quiet. Eric had the radio on, but Calleigh picked the station. She always had control over the radio, and Eric let her have that. He learned years ago when he had just started not to change her station, Speed taught him that lesson.

They arrived within fifteen minutes, if Calleigh was driving it would have been ten. Eric smiled at that thought. The blonde southern belle had a love for guns and going fast, but looking at her you would never think that.

"I'm going to run inside and see if he's here," Calleigh said as she opened the passengers side door and jumped down, "You should probably stay here for now." Calleigh said glancing back as she walked towards the front of the building.

When Calleigh got inside she immediately saw Carl, and when he looked at her a smile was etched on his face. "Are you here to take up the offer on that date?" He said wiggling his eyebrows at her. Calleigh shuddered on the inside; men are pigs.

"No, I'm actually here to ask you some questions." She said watching his body language. Carl's face wrinkled in confusion, "I'm with Miami-Dade PD," she said flashing her badge, "It appears that your finger print was on a piece of evidence that's being processed at our lab. Why did you throw a brick through the front window of a cop?" She asked getting straight to the point.

If they didn't already have his prints on the brick the look on his face gave away the fact that he was guilty. "Listen, I didn't know that guy was a cop." Carl said as he fiddled with his fingers. He looked out the window towards the hummer, then back at Calleigh.

"Alright, well I'm going to need you to come down to the station, I have a few more questions." She said as she pulled out her handcuffs and placed Carl under arrest. Calleigh made sure to tighten the cuffs as she led him out the building.

A small smile appeared on Eric's face as he watched Calleigh cuff and escort Carl out of the building, "I already called Frank, he should be here in a few minutes." Eric said glancing over at Carl, then back at Calleigh.

Frank arrived within five minutes, laughing to himself when he saw how tight the handcuffs were. He loaded Carl into his car and took off. He took notice to the way Carl looked back and watched the blonde as he drove his car to the station.

"I can't believe he admitted to that so easily, he just made my work day shorter." Calleigh said as she climbed into the passengers side of the hummer. "You would think he would put up some kind of fight but I guess criminals aren't as smart anymore."

Eric laughed and glanced over at her. He understood why Carl didn't put up a fight or try to lie. It was all Calleigh and her southern twang. He knew if he did something wrong and Calleigh was questioning him he would crack in minutes. Maybe it was the accent, or maybe it was her looks. He wasn't sure, but whatever it was it seemed to work for her.

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 **That's where I'm leaving it for now. Again, thank you everyone for your patience and your kind words. I'm working on the next chapter now, it should be up within a week. For those who have asked, I'm doing pretty good considering everything that happened. Still a long road ahead of me, but I'm alive and couldn't be more thankful.**


	8. I Love You

I know it's been quite some time since I've updated, but I'm back and ready to write. I have my laptop again so updates should be here more frequently. Also this chapter is a little corny, so sorry for all those readers that hate all the fluff. I'm in the works of writing another chapter and I hope to have that up this weekend. I hope you all enjoy and don't forget to leave comments on what you want to see next!

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On the ride back to the crime lab Eric decided to stop off in Little Havana for some lunch. He didn't eat anything since last night, and the growl his stomach made in the car just proved that point, "We're going to the best place in the state of Florida for lunch Cal." Eric said as he made a left in a development that seemed all too familiar for Calleigh.

When he pulled into the driveway that's when it clicked. Before she had a chance to say anything Eric was already halfway up his mother's walkway. "Mi hijo! I'm so glad you stopped by!" Calleigh heard as she shut the door. She looked over and saw Eric being smothered in kisses by his mother. As she got closer she knew what was coming next. "Calleigh! It's so nice to see you." Said Carmen Delko as she wrapped Calleigh in a hug.

Before either of them got to say a word, Carmen ushered them inside and into the kitchen. Calleigh drifted off in thought as Carmen prepared some leftover empanadas. She wasn't used to a family that was so loving and open. It almost made sense for her and Eric to be together, seeing as they came from two different lifestyles. It was like the balanced each other out.

The two ate their lunch with Carmen, who was more than delighted that they stopped by. She even told Calleigh a few stories about Eric when he was a child; the most embarrassing ones too. Before they left, Carmen packed up some leftover food into containers. When Eric asked for who his mother just smiled and told them to get back to work.

"I can't believe you used to dress up in your sisters clothes," Calleigh said as she buckled herself into her seat. "I really can't wait for the next family dinner so I can see the pictures." She said glancing over at Eric, smiling over how embarrassed his mother had made him at lunch.

"You know Cal, once I get the chance to meet the rest of your family I'm going to make sure to bring some of your embarrassing pictures with me." He said smirking to himself.

The rest of the ride was silent, but it wasn't the awkward kind of silence. Once Eric parked the car Calleigh was ready to hop out, but he stopped her. Before she had the chance to question him, his lips were pressed against hers. She gasped at first, taken by surprise, but shortly after kissed him back. Eric was the first to pull away, grinning like a small child who stole a cookie out of the cookie jar.

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Calleigh and Eric went their separate ways as they entered the lab. She needed to catch up with Horatio on a few things, but when she found him interrogating her suspect she knew it could wait. Calleigh stood there in the hallway watching Horatio and the mechanic. By the smirk on Horatio's face she could tell that he had gotten the confession he wanted and more. Crossing her arms over her chest, she watched as two uniformed officers escorted the mechanic out of the room. Horatio didn't miss the way Carl had eyed her up, so he walked over to her just to make sure everything was okay.

"Before you say anything, I'm fine. He's going away and anything he says or does isn't affecting me." Calleigh rushed to get out before Horatio could say anything.

Horatio tilted his head, gracing Calleigh with one of his genuine smiles. "Ma'am, we have enough evidence to put him away, but he didn't give us much. I don't think he's the one who shot at Eric, but we know he had something to do with it," He said as he grabbed a hold of his sunglasses, covering them with his eyes. "I knew you'd be fine as well, nothing gets to our bullet girl." He swiftly caught the elevator that was about to go down to the first floor, nodding his head at Calleigh as the doors closed.

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Eric had gotten off work at four today, but Calleigh had to stay a little later and help the graveyard shift catch up on some if the ballistics. She had told him not to wait up for her because it could be a late night, but they both knew he wasn't going to go to sleep until she was home and in his arms.

Hours passed before Calleigh was able to leave the lab. Checking her cellphone, she noticed Eric had sent her two texts. One simply stated that he loved her, and it brought a smile to her face. The other had said something about how there was a House marathon on tv and he was going to record it for her.

After about twenty minutes Calleigh had pulled up to her house, opening the garage with her clicker and parking next to Erics car. She walked in through the garage door, placing her keys and purse on the table next to the door. She noted that the house was dark, which meant that Eric probably went to sleep. As she walked into the living room she heard the faint voices of the TV. Her heart turned to mush at the scene in front of her. Eric was laying on the couch, phone in one hand and wrapped up in a quilt that her grandmother had made for her when she was only six years old. She quietly crept over to him, getting down on her knees before the couch and softly kissing the corner on his lips. His eyes fluttered open, revealing those soft brown eyes that swept her off her feet years ago.

"I tried to wait up for you," he said in a sleepy voice, the one that gave her butterflies in her stomach. "C'mere babe." Before she had any time to react he was already pulling her on top of his chest, tucking her hair behind her ears and kissing her forehead.

A few minutes had passed, so she picked up her head and watched him. She took her thumb and ran it across his jawline. How did she ever get so lucky? Watching Eric sleep had been one of her favorite things to do since they started dating. He always looked so innocent and peaceful. Thinking he was asleep, she made a move to get up, but was stopped by his hands around her waist.

"Don't leave babe." He whispered half asleep.

Calleigh kissed his cheek, "Come on, lets go to bed." She said as she stood up and reached her hand out for him.

Eric got off the couch, grabbing the blanket he loved so much and allowed her to lead him up stairs to her room. Once in the room he laid down on her bed, watching her as she completed the same routine she did every night.

She always started with slipping her heels off, and he smirked at how she dropped about four inches in height. Next game the jewelry, which she neatly placed on her dresser. He watched as she pulled her gun out of its holster and placed it on her nightstand. She disappeared into the bathroom to change and clean off her face. His favorite part was next. She stepped out of her bathroom in nothing but one of Eric's old MDPD shirts that was about three sizes too big for her, and a pair of pajama shorts that made his imagination run wild. She laid down in the bed, cuddling up next to him. Eric wound his arms around her body, kissing her forehead and whispering a soft I love you into her ear. Before sleep had overcome him he hear her say those words that made his heart beat faster and slower at the same time.

"I love you too, so much."


End file.
